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Division of Reproductive
Health: Activities—ART Surveillance System |
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In the United States and worldwide, assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are
increasingly used to overcome all types of infertility disorders. More than
52,000 infants were born from ART treatments in 2005, representing more than
1% of the U.S. birth cohort. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is
associated with a substantial risk for multiple birth. Multiple birth is
associated with poor infant and maternal health outcomes, including
pregnancy complications, preterm delivery, low birth weight, congenital
malformations, and infant death. As more women seek medical assistance to
overcome their infertility it becomes important to ensure the safety of
medical technology used and to continue research into the causes and
prevention of infertility. The ART team works to achieve its goals through
surveillance and epidemiologic research; training, technical assistance,
consultation and collaboration with partners; the development of
definitions, and standards; and informing public policy.
Reporting fertility clinic success rates
ART Data Linkage Project
The CDC has developed a collaborative project with the
Massachusetts (MA) Department of Public Health to link data from the ART
surveillance system with birth and death records for infants born to MA
resident mothers. This linked data set will allow for more detailed analyses
of maternal and infant health outcomes. |
The Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act (FCSRCA) of 1992
mandates that
clinics performing ART annually provide data for all procedures performed to
CDC. CDC is required to publish success rates for each clinic. The CDC
uses the data to report clinic-specific success rates. The first joint
report, The 1995 Assisted Reproductive Technology Success Rates Report, was
released in December 1997. Since then, the team has continued to publish
Assisted Reproductive Technology Success Rates Reports annually. The
tenth
report, the 2005 Assisted Reproductive Technology Success Rates, was released
in December 2007, CDC's Division of
Reproductive Health has also
published an MMWR Surveillance Summary on ART
procedures performed in
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
2004 and 2005. These reports supplement the annual
success rates report, providing state-specific information on ART use,
number of infants, and multiple births resulting from ART. In addition, data
from the surveillance system have been used to perform more in-depth
analyses of risks associated with ART, particularly multiple births and low
birth weight.
Future Directions
The CDC will explore mechanisms to better assess the potential for
short-and long-term health effects associated with ART women, infants, and
families.
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Page last reviewed: 06/20/08
Page last modified: 12/5/07
Content source: Division
of Reproductive Health,
National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion |
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